Staff Profile

Qualifications

• PhD: Molecular Biology and Biochemistry (University of Goettingen, Germany and University of British Columbia, Canada)
• MSc: Plant Agronematology (University of Ghent, Belgium)
• BSc: Horticulture (Midlands State University, Zimbabwe)
• Diploma: Agriculture (Gwebi college, Zimbabwe)

Research interests

• Molecular plant-pathogen interactions,
• Biofuels, Plant bioengineering,
• Plant biochemistry,
• Plant lipids
• Molecular plant biology

Publications and conferences

• Guzha A, Whitehead P, Ischebeck T, Chapman KD. Lipid Droplets: Packing Hydrophobic Molecules Within the Aqueous Cytoplasm. Annu Rev Plant Biol. 2022 Nov 22. doi: 10.1146/annurev-arplant-070122-021752. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 36413579
• Christopher Johnston, Tatiana Garcia Navarrete, Emmanuel Ortiz, Trevor Romsdahl, Athanas Guzha, Kent D Chapman, Erich Grotewold, and Ana Paula Alonso. (2022). Effective Mechanisms for Improving Seed Oil Production in Pennycress (Thlaspi arvense L.) Highlighted by Integration of Comparative Metabolomics and Transcriptomics. Frontiers in Plant Science, 13.
• Athanas Guzha, Robert McGee, Patricia Scholz, Denise Hartken, Daniel Lüdke, Kornelia Bauer, Marion Wenig, Krzysztof Zienkiewicz, Cornelia Herrfurth, Ivo Feussner, A Corina Vlot, Marcel Wiermer, George Haughn, Till Ischebeck. (2022). Cell wall-localized BETA-XYLOSIDASE4 contributes to immunity of Arabidopsis against Botrytis cinerea, Plant Physiology, 2022; kiac165, https://doi.org/10.1093/plphys/kiac165
• Guzha, A. (2019). Targeted secretion and remodelling of pectin in response to pathogen infection (Doctoral dissertation, Georg-August University, Goettingen).
• Yuanyuan Mei, Thorpe P, Guzha A, Haegeman A, Blok VC, Mackenzie K,  Gheysen G,  Jones JT and  Mantelin S (2015) Only a small subset of the SPRY domain gene family in Globodera pallida is  likely to encode  effectors, two of which suppress host defences    induced by the potato resistance gene Gpa2, Nematology 17 409-424.
• Scholz, P., Chapman, KD., Ischebeck, T and Guzha, A. (2023) Quantification of Botrytis cinerea growth in Arabidopsis thaliana. Bio-protocols  (Manuscript accepted)
• Scholz, P., Chapman, KD., Ischebeck, T and Guzha, A. (2023) Analysis of pectin derived monosaccharides from Arabidopsis using GC-MS. Bio-protocols. (Manuscript accepted)
• Guzha, A., Muziri, T and Masaka, J. Effects of fallow period management on the population dynamics of Rhizobium leguminosarum pv phaseoli. MSUJUSAT (Under review)
• A. Guzha, J. Ver Sagun, T.G. Navarrete, C. Arias, A.P. Alonso, E. Grotewold and K.D. Chapman: A lipid transfer protein isoform impacts lipid droplet morphology in seeds and wax deposition on aerial organs: Presented at the 10th European Symposium on Plant Lipids (ESPL): July 9-12, 2023, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
• Julius Ver Sagun, Athanas Guzha, Cintia Arias, Tatiana Garcia, Allison Barbaglia, Erich Grotewold, Kent D. Chapman, and Ana Paula Alonso: Identification of Pennycress (Thlaspi arvense L.) Proteins that Influence Lipid Droplet Abundance. Presented at the 2022 Annual Meeting of the Southern Section of the American Society of Plant Biologists (SS-ASPB), March 26-28, 2022, Birmingham, Alabama, USA.
• Guzha Athanas, Julius ver Sagun, Tatiana G Navarrete, Cintia Arias, Allison Barbaglia, Christopher Johnston, Erich Grotewold, Ana Paula Alonso, Kent D Chapman The overexpression of field pennycress (Thlaspi arvensi) seed oil related genes in the leaves of Nicotiana benthamiana alters fatty acid abundance and composition. Poster presentation at American Society of Plant Biologists PB21, July 19-23, 2021,  Pitsburg, USA
• Julius Ver Sagun, Athanas Guzha, Cintia Arias, Tatiana Garcia, Allison Barbaglia, Erich Grotewold, Kent D. Chapman, and Ana Paula Alonso: Unravelling the role of pennycress (Thlaspi arvense) proteins in the modulation of neutral lipid droplet abundance. Presented at the 82^nd Annual Meeting of the Southern Section of the American Society of Plant Biologists (SS-ASPB) held virtually on Zoom from April 16 -18, 2021.
• Guzha Athanas, Julius ver Sagun, Tatiana G Navarrete, Cintia Arias, Erich Grotewold, Ana Paula Alonso, Kent D Chapman: Understanding the role of two pennycress (Thlaspi arvense L.) proteins in the modulation of lipid droplet abundance. Poster presentation at American Society of Plant Biologists PB20, July 17-21, 2020, Pitsburg, USA
• Athanas Guzha, Robert McGee, Marcel Wiermer, Denise Harkten, George Haughn, Till Ischebeck: Pathogen induced pectin remodelling contributes to plant immunity. Poster presentation IS-MPMI XVIII Congress https://ismpmi.confex.com/ismpmi/2019/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/2432), 14-18 July 2019,  Glasgow, Scotland
• Athanas Guzha, Robert McGee, Marcel Wiermer, Denise Harkten, Sina Barghahn, George Haughn, Till Ischebeck:  The role of Arabidopsis thaliana Glycosyl hydrolases in mediation of disease resistance. Poster presentation GGNB Science Day and 10th Anniversary, 16 November 2018,  Alte Mensa, Goettingen, Germany
• Athanas Guzha, Robert McGee, Marcel Wiermer, George Haughn and Till Ischebeck: Understanding the role of two Arabidopsis thaliana Glycosyl hydrolases in disease resistance.  Presented at International Plant Immunity Symposium ‒ 1st IRTG 2172 PRoTECT Symposium June 14th and 15th 2018, Tagungszentrum Alte Mensa, Göttingen, Germany
• A Guzha, M Wiermer, G Haughn and T Ischebeck:            Understanding the role of two Arabidopsis thaliana Glycosyl hydrolases in the mediation of disease resistance. Presented at 31st Molecular Biology of Plants (MBP) Conference, 20 – 23 February 2018, Dabringhausen,
• Athanas Guzha, Robert McGee, Marcel Wiermer, George Haughn and Till Ischebeck: Understanding how Pectin Modifying proteins BGAL4 and BXL4 contribute to     defence against Pseudomonas syringae and Hyaloperonospora arabidopsidis in     Presented at : Joint meeting of  the Canadian Society of Plant      Biologists and the Canadian Society of Horticultural Science: Plants from Sea to Sky,      4-7 July, 2017, British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
• Guzha Athanas, Mei Y , Thorpe P, Haegeman A,  Blok VC, Mackenzie K,  Gheysen G,  Jones JT and  Mantelin S.  Functional analysis of nematode (Globodera pallida) secreted proteins. Presented at Symposium on plant microbe interactions II. IRTG 2172 PRoTECT: Plant Responses To Eliminate Critical Threat, 11 March 2016, Gottingen,   Germany
• Yuanyuan Mei , Thorpe P, Guzha A, Haegeman A,  Blok VC, Mackenzie K,  Gheysen G,  Jones JT and  Mantelin S (2013) Functional analysis of Globodera pallida SPRYSEC proteins. Presented  at the 10th International Congress of Plant Pathology. Bio-Security, Food            Safety and plant Pathology: The Role of Plant Pathology in a Globalised Economy,        August 25-30^th 2013 Beijing, China

Community engagement

• Development of chick rearing technology for the smallholder farmer. 
• Development and testing of water conservation technology (Tie-ridger) at communal farms in the Zvishavane area (Sibanda farm). 
• Development of a piggery wet-feeder for communal farmers. 
• Training of local (Gweru District) extension agents in water conservation technology